The Foot

The Foot

There’s more to your feet than just 10 toes

The foot is one of the most complex structures in the human body. Each foot contains 26 bones , 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. A quarter of the body’s bones are found in your feet.

The exterior is only a little less complicated than the interior. We need to keep the foot healthy despite the pounding it takes all day - on average, 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day - while being wedged into shoes. Women suffer far more foot problems than men because their feet are too-often housed in inappropriate footwear. Each foot also emits as much as half a pint of sweat every day. Add it all together - extreme demands, close confines of shoes, sweating - and it’s easy to see why keeping the skin of your feet healthy can be a challenge.

The skin can also be compromised by warts, corns and calluses. These can cause considerable discomfort, especially if they go untreated. And as you compensate for the pain, your gait changes; this, in turn, causes the pain to expand to other parts of the body.

The final anatomical element of the foot is the toenail. Toenails can be a source of foot pain. They can break when struck. They become infected. Ingrown toenails - often a result of cutting nails incorrectly - plague many people.

Add all of these anatomical elements together, and keeping your feet healthy can sometimes feel like a full-time job! A few very simple tips, however, can help promote foot health.

Wear appropriate shoes

This will vary according to activity, but certain facts are just fundamental. For example, high heels are not the best shoe for you - especially if they keep the toes cramped. Heels should fit securely but comfortably. Cushioning and support should be activity-appropriate. And shoes should be replaced when their support structures start to break down (often before structural degeneration is obviously visible).

Get foot checkups

Think of your foot as a Ferrari. It’s capable of doing incredible things. But it’s also a fine-tuned instrument. Push it too hard, in the wrong way and at the wrong time, and you’ll get hurt. Here are just a few of the sports injuries that plague our feet.